The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1887-02-17
Capt. C,ombs Horses.

Most sea tarilg men have a pas sion for horse
lesh and like to draw the rein over spirited
Horse and dash along the highway lehind two
forty stopper. Capt. Robert ii. Co ,mbs, of this
city, retired shipmaster il no cXr option to this
rule. One day last week the Captain invited a
Journal representative to get into his sleigh be-
hind his pacing mare Kate, and after a short dash
down Northport avenue drove upto his stable. The
stable is model of neatness and convenience. In
an adjoining room coal stove is kept burning day
and night and here food is prepared for the horses
The stable is so warm that water never freezes
there. The Captain now has eight horses. The
first to notice is the pacing mare Kate, now cigh-
teen years old, and kept for breeding purposes
only. The Captain believes that the best trot:ers
are raised from pacing stock, and his views are
backed up by Campbell Brown, of Tennessee, a
noted breeder of fancy stock. In the Mirror and
Farmer Mr.. Brown says: "Paccrs and trotters to-
gether make a combination of blood that cannot
fail of producing trotters'' Hates dam was an
English thoroughbred, sired by old Black Hawk
Rates father was Taggarts Abtlallal, foaed in
1850 got by Farmers Beauty, of Clifford Nor,
gan, dam Lady Mac by Abdellal, grand dam i'm.
ported Trustee, bred and owned by David Taggart.
Goffstown, n II. Record 1861. Kate was raised
>.
Boston. He wrote Capt. Coombs that he paid 800
for the service Of the sire that got Kate that she
was such confirmed PAGER he sold her, but he
wanted the Captain to sell him one of her colts
that he might have some of the blood. Kate has
three colts III the stable-two by Gilbert Knox il,
and one by Harry r. he by Rysdyks lIamblctonian
and is now in foal by Harry II. The colts are
very promising. The oldest will be three in May,
stands sixteen hands high and weighs 1000 pounds.
The second will be two in May, stands fifteen
hands high and weighs $40 pounds The third Will
be one year old in May stands fourteen hands high
and weighs 80 pounds. They all show a fine trot-
ting action. Capt. Coombs has black colt got
by son of Old Smuggler with record of 2.I5l5
The dam of the colt was Drew mare Another
good animal is two years Old colt by Knox, a
great grandson of old General Knox. The next
animal exhibited was a black Knox mare raised
by Shaw, of IIartland, with foal 10y her four
months Old, after Geo. Logan by Gen. Wi;hers
his dam Olive Logan. The mare is in foal by
ilambetonian Chief. The colt is sold to III. III.
jenkins, of Whitman, Mass. All these colts, ex-
cept the sucker, are broken to double and single
harness. Capt. Coombs has at his farm i'll North
port, Il colt after Taber's Norman Gray the only
one in this vicinity. Norman Gray weighed 1900
pounds. When the colts five months old the
Captain begins to handle them. He masters them
by kindness alone no force being used. lie teaches
them that he is master and must be obeyed, and the
ANIMALS are rewarded after they perform their
work. The Captain passed into room ana soon
emerged with an apron on, the pockets of which
were filled with apples. He took out Il two years
old and told the colt to kncel down and pray The
animal at once dropped down Oh its knees a,,a was
rewarded with an apple. Another colt was told to
lay down, make believe dead. and then groan for
medicine. Tie colt stretched himself OUT ON the
floor, threw his head back though, he was dead,
and presently groancd. when the Captain gave him
| his medicine, which was an apple. The colt was
sat upon, fondcd and played with for some time.
The yearling colt 'Dombey' was in stall b, him
self, and in the door of the stall was a small,
round hole. ''Donbcy," said the Captain, '.-how
your nose, when the colt put his nose through the
hole "show your eye Dombey," said the Captain,
when the intelligent colt placed his eye at the
aperture. The animals SHOW remarkable inteili-
Sence, and are as much under the Captains con
troll as is the circus horse under the whip OF the
ring master. The colts nave been driven to double
harnesses when five months old. The Captain is
always pleased to show his horses, and it is worth
lieves that Maine is well adapted to raising fine
horses and is determined to know what can be done
in this direction. Some of his colts already show
gait better than three minutes and bid fair to be
very fast when older.